“Get up, you lazy cow! Do you think being pregnant makes you a queen? Get downstairs and cook for my parents NOW!” At 5 a.m., my husband dragged me out of bed while his parents laughed. As I collapsed in pain, they had no idea I had already sent a message that would save my life….

It wasn’t a warning tap. It was a full swing.

I curled into a ball, instinctively covering my belly with my arms and thighs. The stick cracked against my thigh and ribs with a sickening thud.

The pain was blinding white light.

I screamed. It was a raw, animal sound.

“Serves her right,” Agnes laughed. It was a cackle, devoid of any maternal instinct. “She thinks pregnancy makes her a queen. She needs to learn her place.”

“Pathetic,” Lauren muttered from the corner. I looked at her through my tears. Her hands were shaking, but she didn’t move. She didn’t call 911. She just watched.

Daniel raised the stick again.

“Please,” I sobbed. “The baby. Daniel, please.”

“You care more about that thing than you do about respecting me!” he yelled.

He kicked me in the hip. I slid across the floor. My phone had fallen out of my pocket when I collapsed. It was lying three feet away under the cabinet lip.

I knew I had seconds. Daniel was winding up for another hit. His parents were cheering him on like spectators at a blood sport.

I lunged for the phone.

“Grab it!” Victor shouted. “Don’t let her call anyone!”

Daniel dropped the stick and lunged for me. But my fingers were faster. I didn’t dial 911—I knew the operator would ask too many questions, take too long.

I opened the text thread with my brother, Ethan. He was an ex-Marine who lived ten minutes away. He worked nights. He would be awake.

I typed two words.

Help. Please.

Send.

Daniel’s hand clamped around my wrist. He wrenched the phone away and threw it against the wall. It shattered.

“You think your brother can save you?” Daniel sneered, his face inches from mine. “By the time he gets here, you’ll be cleaned up and apologized.”

He grabbed my hair and yanked my head back.

“Now,” he whispered. “Let’s try this again.” Continue reading…